Strike Saturday if dues not paid by tomorrow: Tuba workers

Strike Saturday if dues not paid by tomorrow: Tuba workers

Also announce demo at RMG units across country Thursday, Friday

Star Online Report

Agitating garment workers of Tuba Group make the strike announcement through a loud speaker from a sixth floor window of a factory at Hossain Market in Badda of Dhaka on Wednesday. They could not meet media due to restrictions by law enforcers. Photo: Amran Hossain

Agitating garment workers of Tuba Group this evening called strike at all RMG factories across the country on Saturday if their dues are not paid by tomorrow.

The workers, who are on hunger strike since July 28 at Badda of the capital demanding payment of their outstanding salaries of the month of May, June and July and festival bonus, also threatened to stage a countrywide demonstration on Thursday and Friday to press home their demands.

The announcement was made through a loud speaker from the sixth floor of a factory housed at Hossain Market in the area as they could not meet media due to restrictions of law enforcers.

They also dropped a press notes carrying the message singed by Moshrefa Mishu, president of Garment Workers Unity, from the floor during the announcement.

In the afternoon, police and the activists of Shramik League, labour wing of ruling Awami League, allegedly beat up a female teacher of Dhaka University and a labour right activist as they tried to enter the factory to observe the humanitarian aid condition of agitating workers.

Earlier, over 1,000 agitating workers remain confined inside the factory for eight hours as the factory authorities reportedly locked all the factory gates around 4:30am.

A worker of Tuba Group fell sick on Monday as she along with her other fellows continue hunger strike for seven days in demand of three months' salaries and Eid bonus. Photo: STAR

Police opened the main gate around 12:00pm but restricted the movement of outsiders and media inside the factory.

“We are not allowing anybody to enter into the factory. But the agitating workers who are willing to come out, we are allowing them to do so,” said Gulshan Zone ADC Mahbub Hasan.

“Only persons engaged in providing medical treatments to the workers, are being allowed to enter in to the factory,” he said.

Asked why journalists and others are not allowed to enter the factory, the ADC said they have put the restriction to avoid any untoward incident.

Police, however, have entered the building several times and brought out few workers, forcing them to go to the BGMEA office as the garment makers' association started distributing salaries of two month among the workers at its office this morning, our correspondent reports from Badda.

Claiming that there are some outsiders joined with workers’ agitation, police said they entered the factory by breaking open the lock of the gate to bring out the outsiders and to help the workers to go to the BGMEA office to receive their salaries.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) started distributing the salaries among the workers at its Karwan Bazar office at 11:05am.